MONTREAL – Alexis Shank, a veteran goaltender with the McGill University Redbirds, has signed a professional contract with Les Aigles de Nice, a top-tier team in France's elite Ligue Magnus.
 
The 24-year-old native of Laval, Que., becomes the 106th McGill men's hockey player to sign a pro deal and will be the 28th to skate in the French circuit. 
 
Shank recently completed his senior year with McGill, graduating with an Arts degree, majoring in economics. The six-foot, 171-pound netminder joined the Redbirds in 2021 after four years with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens of the QMJHL.
 
Over four seasons in the McGill crease, Shank appeared in 106 games overall, including post-season and non-conference play. He posted a 55-43 win-loss record with six shutouts, a goals-against average of 2.77 and a .905 save percentage. He also added five assists and eight penalty minutes to his resume. In regular season play, Shank suited up for 75 contests, amassing a 41-30 record and six shutouts. He logged 4,205 minutes of action and turned aside 2,040 shots, finishing with a 2.80 GAA and a .904 save percentage.
  
By signing with Nice, Shank will now take his talents to the picturesque French Riviera, joining a team that competes in one of Europe's most competitive leagues. Les Aigles de Nice, founded in 1969, have been members of Ligue Magnus since 2016 and play their home games at Palais des Sports Jean-Bouin.
 
The McGill hockey program, which was founded in 1877, recently concluded its 149th year of operation and secured a playoff berth for the 20th consecutive season in 2024-25. The Redbirds posted an 18-9-1 fourth-place finish in the nine-team OUA East, a highly-competitive division that produced the U SPORTS champions (Ottawa) and the national runners-up (Concordia).

Shank joins a long line of McGill hockey alumni who have continued their playing careers overseas. He adds his name to McGill's growing legacy of players who've bridged the gap between U SPORTS and the global professional hockey scene. Among those to play in France, the list of McGillians includes Alan Crawford (Epinal), Yves Beaucage (Villard), Mario DeBenedictis (Rouen), Marco Parenteau (Troyes), Patrice Tremblay (Viry-Chatillon, Reims), Martin Laquerre (Viry-Chatillon), Luc Latulippe (Viry-Chatillon), Guy Boucher (Viry-Chatillon, Angers),  Todd Marcellus (Angers),  David Bahl (Rouen), Paul Theriault (Avignon, Cergy-Pontoise), Jocelyn Perreault (Avignon), Grégoire Leblanc (Avignon), Alexandre Pagé (Cergy-Pontoise), Benoit Martin (Strasbourg),  Kevin Desfossés (Neuilly-sur-Marne), Yan Turcotte (Strasbourg),  Guillaume Doucet (Morzine-Avoriaz), Maxime Langelier-Parent (Lyon),  Marc-André Dorion (Rouen),  Hubert Genest (Nantes, Strasbourg, Mulhouse), Nicolas Biniek (Lyon),  Samuel Labrecque (Gap), Mathieu Pompei (Bordeaux),  Étienne Boutet (Gap),  Jérome Verrier (Amiens) and Alexandre Renaud (Mont-Blanc).


SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-983-7012 (cell)
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca